The Missing Stone: A Conversation About Conservation – Détails, épisodes et analyse

"The Missing Stone: A Conversation about Conservation" with Sean Sullivan. Each week we will bring you a guest from the conservation space to discuss their path in the field of conservation and dive deep into their research.

Today I spoke with Brian Schuh, Ph.D. Candidate and Cheetah Biologist about the field of conservation, realizing  your dreams, and human carnivore coexistance. We begin by discussing why he chose to become a conservation biologist, the experiences that helped him grow in this field, and how his getting his Master's changed his career trajectory. Next we dove into some of the work he is doing on human carnivore coexistance, livestock guarding dogs, and how differences in societal views of predators impact conservation in Africa vs. the United States. Lastly, Brian gives advice to future conservationists and talks about the parts of conservation he's most excited to see grow in the future.

This week I was excited to speak with Brittany Bartlett, Ph.D. student at Oxford and the Co-Founder and President of the non-profit, The Next Swell. I really enjoyed my conversation with Brittany, focusing on her marine biology dreams, both those that are fulfilled and those still in progress. Brittany then dove into her pandemic project, The Next Swell, and the impact she has been able to make through scholarships in marine sciences. We then discuss her next step as a Ph.D. student and the research she will be working on. One quick note, Brittany and I used NGO and non-profit interchangeably, however for legal reasons The Next Swell is considered a non-profit, but not an NGO.

If you are interested in learning more about The Next Swell please visit nextswell.org or @thenextswell on Instagram.

Two quick notes: We do apologize for the sirens outside of Brittany's place throughout the episode. Next week there will be no new episode, please tune back in on January 3rd!

This week I was excited to speak with Dr. Michelle Lute, Vice President of the Board of the Rewilding Institute and Co-Executive Director of Wildlife for All. I was fascinated to talk with Michelle, discussing how growing up on a farm led her into a career advocating for wildlife, and the many research projects and advocacy campaigns that help shape her work today. Michelle discusses the goals of Wildlife for All and the work they are doing to change wildlife management at the state level. We then dive into current events, primarily the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado. If you are interested in learning more about Wildlife for All, please visit wildlifeforall.us or @wildlife.for.all on Instagram.

This week I was excited to speak with Matt Lindenberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Global Conservation Corps. I was fascinated to talk with Matt about combination of luck and perseverance it can take to find your way in the field of conservation, as he worked his way from a volunteer at the Southern African Wildlife College to a position training Safari Guides for the college. We then dove into his Master’s research studying the reintroduction of seven captive-raised cheetah into the wild and the results Matt found. Finally, we discussed the Global Conservation Corps, focusing on the future ranger’s program which educates and connects local youth with conservation opportunities and the training needed to succeed in those roles. If you would like to donate or learn more about the global conservation corps, you can visit the links below:

To make a donation: https://globalconservationcorps.org/donate 

website: https://globalconservationcorps.org/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theglobalconservationcorps/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gccngo/ 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-conservation-corps/

This week I was excited to speak with Dr. John Kominoski, Professor of Biological Sciences at Florida International University. I really enjoyed hearing about John’s journey, entering his Master’s program uncertain of what he wanted to do before discovering freshwater ecology. We discussed several of the research projects John has worked on including his role as the Lead Principal Investigator for the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research Program, collecting data on the impacts of rising sea level and saltwater intrusion on coastal wetlands. I was really excited that John wanted to use our time together not just to emphasize his research, but also to discuss the importance of being an educator in his role as a professor. One of the points John emphasizes is the importance of supporting early career researchers and vulnerable scientists that are part of his lab, as undergraduate and graduate students. For links to the research John is doing both at his lab at FIU and as the lead principal investigator of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research Program:

John’s Ecosystem Ecology Lab at FIU:  kominoskilab.com

FIU’s Institute of Environment: www.https://environment.fiu.edu

Florida Coastal Everglade’s Long Term Ecological Research Program Instagram and Twitter: @fcelter; @fce_studentgroup

This week I was excited to speak with Chris Smith, the Southwest Wildlife Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. Chris shared several stories from his experience discovering and developing his career as a wildlife advocate including an exciting story securing the final votes for a bill to pass the New Mexico State Senate! We discussed several of the projects Chris is working on including developing a beaver restoration plan for the State of New Mexico. Chris also had great advice for those looking to take their first steps into wildlife advocacy! If you would like to learn more about WildEarth Guardians and the work Chris is doing, please follow the links below:

Website: https://wildearthguardians.org/

Donate: https://donate.wildearthguardians.org/page/57452/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=w38tklhi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildearthguardians/

Quick Note: I want to make a quick announcement that after this episode I will be stepping away from this podcast for the foreseeable future, though I do hope to restart the podcast soon!

Today I spoke with Ecosystems and Nature Based Solutions Scientist Francesca Lauterman. We discussed her introduction to conservation and ecology while completing mandatory volunteer hours as a teenager, and how that ultimately led her to complete her masters in conservation biology studying paleo limnology. We then dive into her career as a biological consultant, what an average day looks like for her, and some of the projects that excite her the most. Lastly we wrap up with a discussion about the importance of fresh water conservation and advice for future conservationists.

Denise Peterson is the founder and director of Utah Mountain Lion Conservation. We discuss how Denise's work on a research vessel encouraged her to return to school and pursue mountain lion conservation, the struggles of forming your own non-profit, the importance of blending education, research, and advocacy, and how Utah's house bill 469 is impacting mountain lions today.

To learn more about Utah Mountain Lion Conservation you can visit their website at:

https://www.utahmountainlion.org/

or follow them to see there phenomenal photos and videos on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/utahmtnlionconservation/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UtahMountainLionConservation

or TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@utahmtnlionconservation

Today I spoke with the Executive Director of the Rewilding Institute, John Davis. John is also the Rewilding Advocate for the Adirondack Council and a Land Steward for the Adirondack Land Trust. We tackled a wide range of topics from John's early passions for the outdoors, hitchhiking accross the country to write for Earth First, living life with as minimal an environmental impact as you can, the importance of working with private landowners to achieve rewilding, and what rewilding looks like at a local vs. national level. For more information about his work you can visit:

The Rewilding Institute

The Adirondack Council

follow @rewilding.earth on Instagram

Or listem to the Rewilding Earth Podcast Hosted by Jack Humphry!